


Never Again

by Loukana



Series: Catalyst [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Chatting & Messaging, Multi, New Game Plus, OT9 - Freeform, Polythieves (Persona 5), Saving Akechi, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23042935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loukana/pseuds/Loukana
Summary: Joker, do you remember?Yes. Everything.-(Chatfic from New Game + Phantom Thieves, first prologue leading up to the events of the Catalyst series' main fic)
Relationships: Phantom Thieves of Hearts & Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Phantom Thieves of Hearts/Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Series: Catalyst [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1643539
Comments: 36
Kudos: 380





	Never Again

**Author's Note:**

> Quick note: this is the first prologue for the main fic of the Catalyst series.

Joker, do you remember?

Yes. Everything.

* * *

Queen, do you remember?

I do, Oracle. What of the others?

* * *

Skull, do you remember?

freaking yeah!

hell, I can't believe it worked!!!

* * *

Noir, do you remember?

Of course, Oracle! I'm so glad, I was worried for a second!

* * *

Fox, do you remember?

It seems I'm not the only one. That's quite the relief.

* * *

Panther, do you remember?

Oh my god, yes!

You guys are alright?!

* * *

_Oracle created the PhantomThieves+ chat._  
  
_Joker, Queen, Skull, Noir, Fox, Panther joined the chat._

OMG guys

you're here

HELL YEAAAAH!!!

god I'm crying!

Hi everyone!

we're back!

Welcome back

Hello, my friends

Did we get back everyone, then?

Yeah! Everyone's here, we're just missing Mona!!!

I can't believe it worked!

I'm so glad everyone is back!

This is a relief

New game +, team!!! Let's roll!

can't wait to hug you all!

same! we just saw each other but I feel like I haven't seen you guys in years!

I can't wait too, I miss you all so much!

（っ・∀・）っ ♥

♥ <( ^_^ <)

We need to get together soon. I really, really need to hold you all, right now.

It's gonna be hell finding a way to meet up. Sojiro will freak out if I try to get out of the house all of a sudden.

And he'll keep me on a tight leash for a few days, but we'll find a way

No way we're staying away from each other.

btw, everyone's alright?!

Is everyone feeling okay? No headaches, no symptoms?

I'm still shaking like a leaf, I can't believe we really did this!

The shock was not as strong as I feared, although it's quite disheartening to be back in this house.

Not for long, Yusuke. Hang on, okay?

I feel you, Inari. My room stinks!

How did I not poison myself from the toxic fumes all those years?!

dang, I remember, your room was a mess...

Sorry, I have to leave you for a few minutes.

Now I need to clean and ventilate it without Sojiro flipping out!

I really need to go and see my father right now, but I'll keep an eye on the chat!

Go, Haru, take your time

Yeah! And we're here for you, if you need anything!

same!

Our hearts are with you

Love you, Haru, stay strong!

Keep us updated alright?

This really is the ninth of April... Igor and Lavenza really did it...

this is totally insane! 15 freakin' months, guys?!

I know this is a lot to take in. But we need to stay focused. Skull, Panther, Queen, do you have the Nav?

Already checked, yes.

Yup

yeah man

Can you go to Kamoshida's castle right now?

of course! no way we're leaving Mona in this rat-hole any longer!

I'm grabbing my bag and leaving the apartment, meet you guys in front of Shujin.

Makoto, you're in charge. Ryuji, I know it's not your thing, but you'll have to be nav this once, you're the only one who knows the dungeon's layout.

no prob', dude, leave it to me, we'll be in and out in no time

Be careful. You won't have backup, and no equipment.

I'll swing by Iwai's shop, I'm already in Shibuya.

And I took some medicines from our bathroom, we should be okay.

How's your leg, Ryuji?

a bit stiff, but I'll be okay. can't say I missed the pain, though...

Try not to overexert it while it heals, this time, okay?

what, no running for my life allowed? :-)

You know what I mean...

Also, avoid Scramble Crossing for now, something weird happened last time, when I got the nav.

I'll get off the train and pass through there in a few minutes, I'll check with you as soon as it's clear.

Be careful. I'll be monitoring your phones from here.

And

if you see him...

we know, man. no staring

My god

He's alive. He's alive, right now.

I can't even...

yeah... sounds unreal...

I can't describe the emotion I'm feeling right now. Hope and dread, mixed together, maybe?

This is a lot to take in...

Just pinged his phone's gps. He's at the police station right now.

Oh. That's good, right? I mean, I don't think I could have acted normal if I bumped into him...

Oracle? Could you, maybe

Joker?

Akira, are you alright?

Yes, I'm fine

Send him the message, please

You sure?

Yes

hell...

sent

omg omg omg

What do we do if he remembers?

Will it do any good? He might not answer positively even if he does

wouldn't surprise me... he barely trusted us, and it did end badly for him...

sorry, shouldn't have talked about that

It's okay. I couldn't think about anything else these past few days...

Me neither...

The memories of this day are a heavy weight, and we were not on the wrong side of that bulkhead. I wouldn't wish to put this burden on him.

Sorry for the wait, I'm back.

How did it go with your father?

Not as well as I hoped, although I am grateful he's alive. But... it put things into perspective.

With the grief of losing him, I also forgot about many of the bad memories. Sadly, he was quick to remind me of them...

Oh sweetie...

It's alright, I've made my peace. Even with a change of heart, I don't think I would ever have gotten the father from my childhood back.

Still, I wish we could try to save him this time

I'm so sorry, Haru... I wish things could go differently, too. I don't want you to lose him again...

Thank you for your kind words, Mako-chan. Even if I can't change his fate, I'm still grateful for the opportunity to spend a bit more time with him.

if there's a way we can save him, you can count on us, Haru. no matter what, we've got your back, ok?

Thank you too, Ryuji ♥ I am really glad to have all of you by my side!

I read the backlog. No reply from Akechi-kun?

None yet (ŏ﹏ŏ)

man, the suspense is killing me here

I'm starting to regret

Maybe we shouldn't have sent that message

What if he decides he doesn't want anything to do with us anymore?

It is a risk, but it's better to know, right?

It is, indeed

wxdlksf

He just replied

OMG

"Hello, I'm afraid you may have sent this message to the wrong number."

shit

Okay. Okay it's normal. We knew it would be something like this.

Yeah, Igor said he wouldn't remember... He said it's better like this but I'm... kinda disappointed though?...

And sad...

yeah... same... it seems wrong that he wouldn't remember us...

But we would have had to devise a whole new plan if Akechi-kun had been aware of the future too, right?

Yeah... So... we're still going with Igor's plan then?

It's a sound one. As awful as it is, changing events too much could destroy any advantage we have...

Yeah, butterfly effect, I guess...

Hm

Ann?

I'll be honest, guys

I know we came back for a pretty big reason

And that we're supposed to stick to the plan

But saving Akechi is the only thing I can think about...

for real?!?!

Sorry, I know we're not supposed to change anything but... yeah...

oh man, I'm so freakin' relieved, I thought I was the only one!

Oh wow

I mean, Akechi was messed up, but the guy didn't deserve to die like that!

And... he could have been any of us, if we hadn't met each other, you know?

yeah... if I had been alone in the metaverse, not sure what I would have done to Kamoshida's shadow...

I understand what you mean...

The pain of betrayal and thirst for revenge can lead to a dark road, and without the hope brought by friendship, one could lose his way easily.

It is easy to be led astray when there's no one to tell you otherwise...

I'm sorry everyone

I couldn't find the courage to talk about it before, but... I feel the same as Ann.

We are lucky to get a second chance with Akechi, and... I just can't bear the thought of letting it go to waste...

Do not apologize, I share your feelings. He was one of ours, despite everything that happened

I'm not sure I'd be able to watch him throw his life away a second time, knowing that we could prevent it.

I may be fooling myself, but I really think he liked us, deep down, even if he couldn't admit it to himself.

The regret he showed, before our fight, wasn't faked. And what he did in the end...

That's not the kind of thing you do for just anybody.

Okaaaaay...

If everyone is confessing, guess I'll do it too?

Sweetie, you don't have to agree with us if you don't want to, ok?

Nah, don't worry.

I really don't want to see him die again, too. Just standing there and letting it all happen because it will make things easier for us? No way.

Sooo, if we could set him on a cool redemption arc, I would totally be on board. He deserves one, after what Shido did to him.

But it would all depend on how he really feels about what he did to my mom.

If he doesn't care, I'll ruin him.

I understand. You're the one he wronged the most, you'd get the last say in this, alright?

Yeah... But, he stood up for us in the end, so, I kinda hope there really is some good inside of him.

man, I hope too. the guy was insufferable, but hell, he's the reason we still have each other. that's a huge deal to me. 

Same here. Knowing I could have lost you to those fiends had he not sacrificed himself...

Despite everything he did, he gave his life for us, in the end...

Haru, what do you think of this?

I know you had some reserves about Akechi-kun, even after everything.

To be fair... I agree with you all.

I've thought a lot about it when we decided to come back. About how I would act when we saw him.

I could never forgive the Akechi who murdered my father, but... this one is not guilty of it yet.

And if we were to forgo Igor's instructions and get Akechi on our side, it would mean there might be a chance we could save my father.

oh shit, you're right

Also... without that feud between us... The real Akechi, the one we met at the end. I think he's someone I'd like to get to know better.

Yeah, same!

And I really want to make it right this time, for Akechi as much as Haru's dad!

He didn't seem cruel, just horribly lonely. Maybe, if we could get him to confide in us... we might find a good person underneath.

That's my hope too. I'd like to give him a chance and help him see through the denial he blinded himself with. Just like you did for me.

Well, it seems we almost reached a consensus, although we'll have to wait for Morgana's opinion.

You know full well that Mona will be 100% on board

Indeed

He took the loss of our teammate quite hard. I'm sure he would be delighted by the proposition.

Yes, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't hear his thoughts about it before making a decision.

Well, besides Morgana, we're only missing one last opinion...

Akira? You've been silent for a while, my friend. Are you okay?

Yes. Sorry I'm here.

I think I already know you answer, but still.

What are your thoughts on this?

come on, we all know what our leader thinks about it!

Yeaaah, bet he's sighing and imagining all kinds of romantic dates already!

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

he's been crushing over our crazy detective for months

Guys, please.

Well to be fair, Joker's not the only one. I could totally ship Akechi with us, guys...

Like, latte art with hearts in Akechi's coffee, or smooching him under the plastic stars in the attic!

Plus, he's super cute!

well he's got a pretty face, I'll give you this. still don't like his hair though

It's too bad he was against us. I enjoyed working with him. And he really seemed to enjoy spending time with us too.

Oh, we'll have to buy another set of stars to replace the old ones. I'm thinking about making real constellations this time.

You're right, Ann-chan. Although I hated him at the time, Akechi-kun was quite the charmer...

I wanted to punch his face for being so handsome despite what he did!

whoa, Noir, talk about mixed feelings :-D

I know!

Alright. I know what happened with Akechi was personal. We all feel deeply about it.

Bet he wanna "feel you deeply" too ;-p

FUTABA!

Whut, I'm just saying out loud what everyone's thinking!

That's no reason to speak so crudely!

Well, I find him quite aesthetically pleasing as well.

oh man, Fox is crushing hard too!...

But as your leader, I need to remind you that Igor gave us that plan for a pretty big reason. One that we should not forget about.

WHAT

oh bullshit, dude!

There's too much that depends on us doing our job right.

Well, this is unexpected...

Where did that goody two shoes speech come from?!?!?

That was me being the responsible one, here.

Akira-kun, what's going on?

What are you saying? We all saw your face when Igor told us the plan!

yeah man, you were a second from punching him in the nose!!!

Talk to us, please.

I was just saying my part as the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

You can't tell us that's how you really feel, right?

Now, I'm going to say my part as Akira.

Right here, right now, I know exactly where my priorities lie

and it's not with Igor's shitty plan

so fuck it

Woohoo! Knew it!

hell yeah!

Haha, you worried me for a sec!

I'm so relieved! I thought someone had replaced our Joker with someone else!

You all know how I think about what happened to Akechi. No way I'm standing back this time.

This is more like you. It felt wrong to see you so compliant with Igor's instructions.

Sooo, leader. We're going with plan B?

Of course we're going with fucking plan B.

YES!

We're the freakin' Phantom Thieves, since when do we follow creepy old men's schemes?!

It's a relief. I think I'll like plan B much better than the original.

Me too!

while we're on it... is it plan B or "fucking" plan B? if you get my meaning

Ryuji!!!

what?! if Akechi's going to be part of the team, he's going to be part of the fun, you know that!

Wow, this escalated quickly.

We're not even sure if he'll be interested!

come on miss Prez', you thought about it too

girl are you shitting me? the guy was thirsty as hell!

I'm gonna side with Skull here, Akechi was totally lusting after us. Especially Aki-bro', but come on, don't tell me you forgot the Mona-bus incident!

Oh right! I remember that!

Omg, how could I forget? It was so cute ^^

more like hopelessly awkward, but haha, yeah I get what you mean

I never saw him as flustered as when he left that day. It was quite endearing.

man, he really was a piece of work, but damn if it wasn't fun teasing him...

Akira? You've been silent again... Is everything ok?

Sorry, lil' sis. I'm okay.

you sure, dude?

it's not like you to be quiet like this

Yeah. I just

Just realized OUR Akechi is gone.

For good...

oh man

...He is, isn't he?...

It's been months. All this time?...

Guess I never let go of the hope he would come back to us, like Morgana did.

Their situations were different, but I'll admit some part of me did hope, too.

You were the closest to him. It must be hard...

Yeah

Still have nightmares about that engine room. I can't get it out of my head.

We should have done something. We could have saved him back there.

I get you, man... still the worst day of my life...

It's okay.

He's alive, now.

yeah. alive and kicking!

Our Crow, back from the land of the dead.

Let's make sure this time, he knows he can have a place in our team and in our hearts!

He's ours, no matter what he says. No way we're letting him die this time!

By the way

Don't flip out

it's just a feeling I got, but

Well that's ominous...

I think Akechi might be our answer...

What?!

NO WAY

for real?!?!

Oh dear. You really think so?

I'm not sure

I just feel like Lavenza's idea will not be enough.

But with Akechi on our side...

dude!

Are you sure? Could having him with us be enough to make a difference?

Yeah, I think it could. No idea how, though.

He's a wildcard too.

From what Lavenza told us about those, you two might be the only ones who could pull off such a turnaround.

We all saw what Akira-kun was capable of. But with the both of them working together... It might work. It might work!

Is Akechi the key item we missed the first time?

Oh God, if you're right...

We have to try. We must.

you think he'll be enough to tip the scales?

I don't know. But I'd like to think he will.

Even if he's not, I'm not losing him. Never again.

You're right. Never again.

of course. never again, bro

We're not letting anyone die for our cause, from now on. Never again.

Then I swear, too: never again.

NEVER AGAIN!

It sounds a bit childish, making an oath like this, don't you think?

Queen!!! Don't break the chain!

Sorry, sorry, never again too, I promise!

Alright!

It feels... strangely good, to have a clear objective like this.

I dearly hope Mona-chan won't be too angry with us for not waiting for him.

All for a big cuddle session with him as soon as we get him back?

Aye!

Seconded.

thirded!

I miss him so much... We have to hurry, guys.

I just boarded the train, I'll be at Shujin soon.

Please Ann, give Mona a hug from me, okay? I'll give him a proper one myself on Monday!

The same, from me, if you would? I'll come to see you as soon as I can get out of Sensei's supervision.

Be careful until then, all of you.

I wish I could have come with you.

I'll take care of the team, bro', you can count on me

🤜

🤛

stay safe

We will. And, Akira...

Good luck with Boss

Yeah...

It will be alright.

Just give him some time to get to know you again.

And don't be late on first school day this time!

Haha, I will. Thanks, guys

Alright, I'm arriving at Shibuya now.

Let's do this. Love you all.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find the chat's avatars (as well as those I made for Mona, Crow and Black Mask) in HD [here](https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/79687718).


End file.
